Fewer Americans say measles vaccines are safe for kids; cardiovascular disease now kills more Hispanic adults than cancer; lumateperone and sexual function in depression — Morning Medical Update

Fewer Americans say measles vaccines are safe for kids

Pennsylvania has reported three measles-related deaths in recent weeks.

Some 76% of Americans say vaccines against measles, mumps and rubella are safe for children, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, down from 84% in the pollsters' May 2020 survey. A bipartisan majority of respondents still backs vaccinating children against measles. The online poll of 1,143 U.S. adults has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

The U.S. has recorded more than 3,000 confirmed measles cases in 2026, the most in 35 years, and is widely expected to lose its measles elimination status later this year, Reuters reported. Outbreaks have hit Pennsylvania, Utah and South Carolina. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show average vaccination coverage among kindergartners is below the 95% level experts say is needed for herd immunity.

Cardiovascular disease now kills more Hispanic adults than cancer

On average, Hispanic adults have a first stroke 6 to 8 years younger than white adults.

Cardiovascular disease has surpassed cancer as the leading cause of death among Hispanic adults in the U.S., according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement. About 44% of Hispanic adults have high blood pressure, and 15.5% have type 2 diabetes, nearly twice the prevalence among white adults. Hispanic adults are diagnosed with heart failure about 8 to 9 years younger than white adults.

Roughly 20% of Hispanic adults were uninsured in 2023, compared with 6.4% of white adults. The statement, published in Circulation, calls for culturally tailored prevention, equitable access to care and greater Hispanic representation in cardiovascular research. "Awareness without access is not enough," said writing group chair Johanna Contreras, M.D., of Mount Sinai's Hispanic Heart Center in New York.

Add-on lumateperone improved sexual function as depression eased

Among patients with baseline sexual dysfunction, 26.3% on lumateperone reached normal sexual function, versus 15.2% on placebo.

Adding the atypical antipsychotic Caplyta (lumateperone) to antidepressants improved sexual function compared with placebo in a post hoc analysis of a phase 3 trial. Participants, 480 adults with major depressive disorder who had responded inadequately to antidepressants, took lumateperone 42 mg or placebo daily for six weeks. Gains reached statistical significance in women but not men.

After adjusting for improvement in depressive symptoms, lumateperone's effect on sexual function was no longer statistically significant, the authors reported. The add-on "may be preferable for some individuals" hoping to avoid sexual side effects, said lead researcher Anita H. Clayton, M.D., of UVA Health. Lumateperone maker Intra-Cellular Therapies funded the study, published in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, and five of its six authors are current or former company employees.